Electric controller device for signals



May 15, 192s.

S. J. EYRSE ELECTRIC CONTROLLER` DEVICE FOR SIGNALS Filed Dec. 17. 1924 35 of lighting of the first 40 quickly and easily 50 change in the first Patented May l5, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I SAMUEL J. EYRSE, F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ELECTRIC CNTROLLER DEVICE FOR SIGNALS.

Application :led December 17, 1924. Serial No. 756,627.

This invention relates to a device for controlling electric circuits and 'particularly to and go signals at the street intersection.'

There is also a circuit controlling a lamp or group of lamps, which lamps are lighted momentarily just before the change in lights of said irst groups of lamps. This `last mentioned lamp or. group of lamps is lighted to indicate that the lights in the first two groups 0 of lamps are about to change. It is desired, therefore, that the circuits controlling this latter lamp or group of lamps should be closed just before the change in the lights of the first groups and should be opened substantially simultaneously with the change in the lighting of the first group. Furthermore, the signal posts are often placed at street intersections where there is a great deal more traffic on one street thanl on the other and it is desired to have one of the first two groups of lamps lighted for a longer period of time than the other one of said groups. some means for readily varying the periods two groups'of lamps. It is an object of vthis invention, therefore, to provide a device for controlling the alternate lighting of a plurality of lamps or groups of lamps, which device has means adjustable to vary the period of lighting of said groups. It is another object of the invention to provide a device for controllingthree electric circuits, said device havingl means for alternately closing and opening two of said circuits and means for closing the third circuit momentarily before the change in the first two circuits and for opening the third circuit substantially simultaneously with the two circuits.

It is still another ob'ject yof the invention It is desirable therefore to have to provide such a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph comprising a pair of contacts, each connected, respectively, in one of the first two circuits, together with a member movable between said contacts for making and breakingthe circuits thereof, and a contact connected in a third circuit, together with a member movable into and out of contact therewith for closing and opening said third circuit, respectively, both of said members being movable in synchronism, together with means for readily varying the interval between the movements of said members.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a device, as set forth in the preceding paragraph, in which said members have a common operating means, including a plurality of cam engaging members, together with relatively adjustable opa to provide such av device as set forth in the I two preceding paragraphs in which the adjustable cams are carried on disks, which disks are mounted in adjacent relation on a rotary shaft and are readily and easily adjustable relatively on said shaft circumferentially and have means for holding them in adjusted position.

` It is/also an object of the invention to provide a device comprising a plurality of movable switch members having a common op-V erating means including a plurality of cam engaging members, together with a rotary shaft carrying a plurality of disks easily and :readilyquickly adjustable thereon, which disks carry cams thereon for operating said cam engaging members, together with means for holding said disks in adjusted position.

These and other objects and advantagesof the circuits controlled also being shown;y

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary view showing a portion of one of the cam disks;

- Fig. 5 is an edge view of the parts shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, as indicated by?- the arrows. Referring to the drawings, a base member 7 is shown which may comprise a plate bent into U shape and having end portions adapted to be screwed to a suitable surface or support. Upright frame members 8 are `bolted to the members 7- and have connected thereto the top cross piece 9. The members 8 and 9, preferably will be made of insulating material. Secured to the top of member 9 is a contact 10. While this contact may be of various forms, in'the embodiment of the invention illustrated, Iit is shown as carrying strip of flat material and the same will be made of material with some resiliency. An oscillating member' 11 also illustrated as made of a plain strip material is arranged to swing into contact with the member 10, to wipe across the same and then to move out of contact therewith when it reach'es the lower concave bend in the strip 10. The member 11'1`s attached to an arm .12, being insulated therefrom by an insulating block 13 and the arm 12 is suitably secured, as by a set screw 14 to an operating shaft 15 mounted in suitable bearings 16 on the member 9 and held from longitudinal movement therein by a collar 17 secured to shaft 15 by suitable set screws. The shaft projects at one side of the member 9 and hasa downwardly bent portion 15a, which portion is provided with a plurality of holes 15b extending therethrough. A tensile spring 18 has one end connected to a split cotter pinl insertable in any one of the holes 15" and has its other end connected to a swinging switch member 19. The latter end of spring 18 is connected to an eyelet 18thaving ahead or nut thereon held in a recess in a block 18" riveted or screwed to the member 19, aninsulating block 18c being disposed therebetween. While the member 19 may be madel of various shapes, in the embodiment of the linvention illustrated the same is shown as made of a strip of flat material bent into U shape, the ends thereof being pivoted on pivots 20 shown as headed and nutted bolts secured respectively in one of the members 8 and in a bracket 21 screwed to the outer side of member 8. The member 19 is adapted to swing and alternately contact with a contact` member 22 and a contact member 23. While these contacts 22 and 23 may be of` any suitable form, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated they are shown as made .secured to the inner side thereof. The. memof strips of flat material having their ends bent into Ul shape or channel shape; the coutact 22 being secured to the outer side of one of the members 8 andthe contact 23 being ber 19 and contacts 22 and 2 3 are so 'disposed relatively to the end 1'5aof the rod 15 that when member 19 engages contact 22 the portion 15a will be at one side of pivot 20 and when said member 19 engages contact 23, the portion 15a will be at the other side of pivot 20. i rl`he shaft 15 is provided with a plurality of cam engaging members or arms 24, shown as two in number, which project downwardly and are adapted, respectively, to be engaged by cams 25 and 26 carried respectively upon disks 27 and 28. The disks 27 and 28 are mounted on a' rotating operating shaft 29 carried in suitable bearings 30 secured at the outer side of one of the members 8 and being` held from longitudinal movement by collars 31 secured thereto by suitable set screws. The cams 25 and 26 each have a primary'portion a inclined at an angle to its carrying disk, an intermediate portion b substantially parallel to the'carrying disks, a high comparatively short portion c and an inoperative portion d connected to the disk. The disk 27 has its hub pinned to the shaft 29 and the disk 28 is loosely mounted on the shaft 29 so that when disengaged from diskv 27 it can quickly and easily be turned relative to'disk 27. The disks 27 andv 28 are provided with means for holding them in adjusted position, and while various means might be used for this purpose, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the disks are shown as provided with crimps or corrugations at their. peripheries, lwhich crimps or corrugations 0n the respective disks are'adapted to tit together and a nut 32 is provided threaded on the end of shaft 29 adapted to clamp the disk 28 against the disk 27 so that the disk will then revolve as a unit and will. be held in firm engagement. A crank handle 43' is shown attached to one end of the shaft 15 and will be used at times when it is desired to manually control the making and breaking of the circuits and the consequent operation of the lights. A coupling 29a is shown at the end of the shaft 29 by which said shaft may constantly be coupled to a motor or other driving shaft.

While the device illustrated may be arranged to control different numbers of circuits, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the same is shown as arranged to control three circuits andthese circuits are diagrammatically illustrated in Fig.'2. 125

A battery or source of current 33 is shown and this will be connected to the member 19 through the member 21. Two groups of lamps 34 and 35 are shown, each controlled by a circuit and these ,circuits will be revof engagement ierred to as the first two circuits. The lamps 34 and 35 are connected at one side by a conductor 36 to one side, preferably the ground side, of the batteries 33. The lamps 34 are connected at their other side by a conductor 37 to the contact 22 and the lamps 35 are connected at their other side by conductor 38 to the Contact 23. It will be seen, therefore. that when member 19 is m engagement with contact 22, that a cir- -cuit will be closed through thel lamps 34,

this circuit passing through the conductor thence to the contact 22 through conductor 37 and to lamps 34 and conductor 36 and to battery 33. lVhen member 19 is in engagement withcontact 23 a circuit will be closed through the lamps 3f, this circuit passing from battery 33 thi'ough conductor 39, member 19, contact 23, conductor 38, lampsl 35 and conductor 36 to battery 33.' It will also be obvious that as member 19 moves from the battery 33 out of engagement with contact 22. the circuit including lamps 34 will be broken or opened and that when member 19 movesout with contact 23 the circuit including lamps 35 will be broken or opened. A third circuit is shown including one or more lamps 40, which lamps are connected at one side by a conductor 41 to the member 11 and which are connected at the other side ,by'conductor y36 to battery 33. Battery 33 is also connected by conductor 39 and by a conductor 42 extendingr therefrom to the contact 10. Thus, when member 11 engages contact l0 the circuit through the lamps will be closed and will be broken when member 11 moves out of engagement with contact 10. As previously set forth, the device will have high utility in connection with traffic signals in which the groups of lamps 34 and 35 will illuminate, respectively, the stop and go signs 'in intersecting streets and be illuminated momentarily to indicate a change in the lighting of lamps 34 and 35.

The operation of the device as described will be as follows. Pewer will be transmitted to shaft 29 from a suitable motor so that said shaft will revolve at some `desired speed. Assuming the member 19 is in en- 2, portion a of cam 25 will engage. the arm 24. This will turn the shaft 15 simultaneously to bring member 11 into engagement with contact '10. The member 11 moves slowly across the member 10, as the portion b of the cam rides past the arm 24. During this movement the spring 18 has been placed under some tension. When the high portion-c of the cam comes under arm 24, shaft 15 is still further revolved. and spring 18 is placed under sutiicient tension to canse member 19 to snap quickly out of engagement 39 to the member 19,-

the lilIIlpS 40 Wllllexpensive,

spectively,

with contact 22 and to `swing into full engagement with Contact 23. At substantially the same time, the' member 11 snaps out of engagement with ycontact 10. lith the action so far described it will be seen that the Circuit including the lamps 40 was closed and said lamps illuminated for a short period before the circuit including the lamps 34 was opened and -for a short period before the circuit including lamps 35 was closed and` the latter lamps illuminated. The disks now revolve until the other cam 26 comes into engagement with the other arm 24 and the member 11 then swings upward into engagement with contact l() :mdmovcs thereacross, as above described. The member 11 will snap out of engagement with contact l() substantially simultaneously with the throwing of the switch member 19. again into engagement with contact 22. If the cams 25 and 26 are 'substantially diametrically opposite'on the disks 27 and 28, the periods of lighting of lamps 34 and 35 will be substantiall the same. If it is desired, however, to ave the periods relatively varied, this can quickly and easily be accomplished by merely loosening the nut 32 and moving the disk 28 so as to bring the cams into closer relation, the nut 32 being tightened when the disks are adjusted. as desired. It thus becomes a very simple matter to change the relative timing of the lights, and the lamps 40 will operate or be illuminated just before the change in the lamps 34 and 35, as before.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a very simple and eiicient device for controlling lighting circuits and one which is particularly adapted for controlling trailic signal posts.' The device comprises very few parts when compared with many of the controlling 'devices nowi-in use and the parts are simple and in- ',lhe vdevice has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successful and efficient.

It will, 'of course, be understood that va- -rious changes may be made in the form, de-

` consists in a device capable of accomplishing the objects above set forth and in the novel parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims. What is claimed is: 1 A switch device for controlling three circuits comprising a pair of contacts disposed in the first and second circuits, respectively, a movable Contact adapted alternately to engage the said contacts to close and open said first and second circuits rea third contact connectedin the third circuit,-a fourth contact movable in synchronism with said movable contact adapted to engage said third contact to close said third circuit momentarily just before said first circuit is opened and to disengage said third contact andopen cuit substantially simultaneously with the opening of the first circuit and the closing of the second circuit, a common operating means for said members comprising an oscillating shaft, a pair of cam engaging iiicans on said shaft, a driving shaft, and a pair of cams relatively ferentially thereon adapted, respectively, to engage said cam engaging means whereby the periods that said first and second circuits are closed may be varied. l 2. A switch device for controlling three circuits comprising a pair of contacts disposed in the first and second circuits respectively, a movable contact adapted alternately to engage the said contacts to close and open said first and second circuits respec tivelyya third contact connected in the third circuit, a fourth contact movable in synchronism with said movable contact adapted to engage said third contact to close said third circuit momentarily just before said first circuit is opened and to disengage said third contact and open said third circuit substantially simultaneously with the opening of the first circuit and the closing of the second circuit, a common operating means for said members, comprising an oscillating shaft, a pair of cam engaging means on said shaft, a driving shaft, a pair of adjacent disks von said driving shaft having means for holding them in various relative circumferential positions, and a cam on each disk adapte-d to engage one of said cam engaging said third cir- 1 adjustable circumv means whereby the periods that the first and second mentioned circuits are closed may be varied.

3. A switch device for kcontrolling three circuits comprising a pair of /contacts disposed in the first and second circuits, respectively, a member adapted alternately to engage the said contacts to close and open said first and second circuits, respectively, a third contact connected in the third circuit, said last mentioned contact constituting' a resilient strip, a member movable synchronously with said first mentioned member adapted to engage and Wipe across said strip and engage the same momentarily to close said third circuit, said lastmentioned member engaging said strip just before said first mentioned member opens said first circuit and disengaging said strip to open said third circuit substantially simultaneously with the closing of said second circuit by said first mentioned member.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3, a common operating means for said members, a tension spring connecting said operating means and said iirst mentioned member, said spring being placed. under tension by said operating means while said last mentioned member is wiping across said strip and being placed under further tension as mentioned member disengages said strip` whereby said first mentioned member is given a quick snapping motion between said first mentioned contacts and said third circuit is opened substantially-with the closing of'said second circuit. i

n testimonywhereof I aiix my signature.

SAMUEL J. EYRSE.

said last 

